Garage-door operator



A ril 8, 1930. A. HERR 1,753,340

GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Filed July 11, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l A 46 {a 7 aV IN N TOP.

A TORNEY.

April 8, 1930. A. HERR 1,753,340

GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Filed July 11, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORATTORNEY 1927 s Sheets-Sheet s m i mw T ur m1 .w 1 fi fli Q Q Q H n A.HERR GARAGE DOOR OPERATOR Filed July 11,

. E: :u lIi Ah Gm w Flt. I- w Ill. [i

April 8, i930.

Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED" STA ADAM HERE, on SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSINGARAGE-DOOR OPERATOR Application filed July 11,

Th1s invention relates to improvements in garage door operators.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a garagedoor operating 5; mechanism which will be actuated by the exteriorapproach of a vehicle to the garage doors to automatically open thesame. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide a garage door operatorconstructed so that when the vehicle moves into the garage, beyond thedoors, the same will be automatically closed andlocked. I r

A further object of the inventionis to provide a garage door operatordesigned for use with sliding doors.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garage door operatorprovided with mechanism operated by engagement with a vehicle toautomatically open and close the doors'without the necessity of any onegetting out of the vehicle for that purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garage door operatorwhich is of simple construction, is strong and durable, and is welladapted for the purpose set forth.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of theimproved garage door operator, and its parts and combinations as setforth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference charactersindicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a view of the inner faces of a pair of sliding garage doorswith the improved operating mechanism, and shown in closed position,parts being shown in section Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar toFig. 1, showing the doors in open position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4: is a plan view of the floor and track arrangement for operatingthe mechanism with the garage doors shown in horizontal section;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the 1927. Serial No. 204,947.

drawings, it will appear that the numerals 8' indicate a pair of garagedoors hung on straps 9 which carry rollers 10 to ride on a horizontaltrack 11, permitting sliding movement of said doors to open and closethe door opening of a garage or building. The tracks 11 dependfrom-supporting members .12 within the garage. Extending transverselytothe plane of the garage doors 8 are a plurality of vehicle trackmembers. To receive the track members, theexterior ground approach tothe garage doors is provided with a pair of spaced, inclined,longitudinal recesses or; channels 13, and in each of said recesses anouter track member 14 is movably mounted, the width between said tracksbeing equal to the width between a pair of vehicle wheels. The topsurfaces of said tracks 14 are normally flush with the ground or drivelevel wherein they are-set. The outer end portions of said tracks aremounted on tubular supports 15. The tracks 14 terminate at'their innerends below the'doors'8 and are normally supported by an operating framedesignated generally by the numeral 16 and to be described more indetail hereinafter.

In alinement with the tracks 14 are a pair of spaced inner tracks 17mounted inchannels 18 therefor in the garage floor or base. The innerend portions of said tracks 17 have a lapped engagement with the innerend portions of the tracks 14 and are also hinged thereto, as at 19, andare also supported by the operating frame 16. The outer end portions ofthe tracks 17 are mounted on tubular supports or bearings 20 and areunder the floor and covered. I

The operating frame 16 is formed of tubular piping and is rectangular inshape and surrounds the frame or opening for the doors 8 interiorly ofthe garage. The lower horizontal portion of said frame extends into arecess 21 below the floor line, while the upper horizontal portion ofthe frame is considerably above the upper edge portions of the doors, asshown in Fig. 1. The side vertical portions 16 of the frame are slidablymounted at their upper-end portions in bearing brackets 22 which arecarried by the end portions of a transverse bar 23 which depends fromsupports 24. The lower portions of the frame sides 16' are slidablymounted in hollow guard housings 25. A coiled spring 26 is mounted onthe upper end portion of each frame side member 16 between an adjustablepin 27 and the bearing bracket 22. V

Pivotally secured to the upper bar 16 0f the frame, to one side of themid-portion thereof, is the end portion of a link 28. An intermediatelink 29 is pivotally secured at one end portion to the other end portionof the link 29, and the other end portion of said link 29 is pivotallysecured to anend portion of an inner link 30. The link 29 is formed withan enlarged squared mid-por tion 29 for engagement with a stop 31mounted on the bar 23.

As shown in Fig. 3, the major portion of the bar 23 is of bifurcatedform, and dependin from the mid-portion thereof is a bracket 32 throughwhich is revolubly mounted a stud shaft 33 on which a lever 34 ismounted fast intermediate its ends. The upper end portion of the lever34 is of bifurcated form with a long arm 35 and a short arm 36. Thelowerend portion of the lever 34 is formed as a socket 37 in which the innerend portion of an extension arm 38 is adjustably secured. Pivotallysecured'to the upper end portion of the lever arm 35 is one end portionof a rod 39 which extends and is pivotally secured to a lug 40 securedto one of the sliding doors 8. The outer end portion of the linkextension arm 38 is pivotally secured to an end; portion of a two-pieceadjustable rod 41 which is pivotally secured at its other end portion toa lug 42 secured to the other sliding door 8. An intermediate portion ofthe bar 23 has pivotally connected thereto forked members 42 and eachforked member has pivotally se-- cured thereto a pair of auxiliary links43. The other end portions of each pair of links 43 straddle and arepivotally secured to an intermediate portion of the frame top bar 16".Secured between the pivotal connections of-the links 43 and the forkedmembers 42 and lugs 44 depending from the bar 16" are coiled springs 45.There is also secured between the link 28 and a lug 46 depending fromthe bar 16" another coiled spring 47.

The operation of the mechanism thus far described is as follows: When avehicle drives upon the front or outer operating tracks 14 sufiicientlyfar, its weight will cause the inner end portions of said tracks to beclepressed within their grooves or channels 13. The doors 8 normally,and up to this time, are of course, closed, and all of the parts are inthe positions shown in Fig. 1. 'With the depression of the inner endportions of said tracks, a pressure is exerted on the bottom bar of theframe 16, and the entire frame is lowered thereby vertically against thetension of the springs 26. The downward m0ve-' ment of the frame causesa vertical downward movement of the link 28 which in turn moves theintermediate link 29 in a clockwise direction in Fig. 1, until itstrikes the stop 31, and the link 30 will be raised and moved toward theleft in Fig. 1. Also, the pivotal lever 34, and arms forming partthereof, will turn in a counter-clockwise direction, with the resultthat the rod 39 will be pushed to the left, pushing therewith to openposition the attached door 8, mounted on the track 11 and rollers 10.The other door will be similarly moved to the right in Fig. 1 to openposition, by means of force exerted by the rod 41. The positions of allof the parts when the doors are in open position is illustrated in Fig.2, and it will be noted that the frame moving springs 26 are compressed,while the link moving springs 45 and 47 are stretched.

After the vehicle moves into the garage through the open doors, itsweight is shifted from the outer operating tracks 14 to the inneroperating tracks 17 and the forward portion of the same are helddepressed until the major portion of the vehicle moves off the exposedportions of said tracks, and over the covered end portions, shown inFig. 5. Then, the springs 26 will raise the frame 16 to nor malposition, being assisted by the spring 45 operating the auxiliary links42 and 43, and the spring 47, together with the links 28, 29 and 30 willreturn the lever 34 and extension arms to normal position, and the doors8 will be drawn to closed position, as shown in Fig. 1.

After the doors have automatically closed, with the vehicle within thegarage, if the vehicle is advanced slightly its forward wheels will rideupon'a trap door 48 which is hingedly connected to the garage floor overan opening 49 and is normally maintained in an inclined position bymeans of a pair of side slidably mounted rods 50 engaging the free endsof the trap door, there being coiled springs 51 on said rod between thedoor 48 and rod bearings 52 (see Fig. 6). There are pivotally connectedto said trap door opposed links 53 which are pivotally connected to theend portions of levers 54 which are centrally pivotally mounted, as at55, within the opening 49. The other end portions of the levers 54 arepivotally connected with links 56 which in turn are pivot ally connectedwith short bars 57 Said short bars are formed with bores 58 and slots59, and the end portions of opposite elongated rods 60 enter said boresand said end portions are provided with transverse pins 61 movable insaid'slots and limited in movement by the ends of the same. The majorportion of each rod 60 and its short bar 57 are confined within a pipe62 within the garage floor, and communicatin g at one end with a recess13, each rod being mounted on roller bearings 63. Each rod 60'also hasthereon a coiled spring able through an opening 67 therefor in theadjacent door frame portion and when the parts are moved to lockingposition, the

extension portions 66 assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.6, and each engages the side edge of a door 8, preventing the doors frombeing opened.

When the rods 60 move to the left in Fig. 6, an end portion 60 of eachrod, guided by an eye-bolt 68, moves under an angular plate 69 on thelower portion of the frame 16, and prevents the same from being lowered.

It is, therefore, obvious that the weight of a vehicle on the tracksexterior of the garage operates mechanism to quickly open the doors.When the vehicle gets into position within the garage, its weight isrelieved from the mechanism and springs return the parts to normalpositions to close the doors. Also, the doors are automatically lockedby the weight of the vehicle on the trap door 48 which operates lockingmembers to lock the doors and frame. In leaving the garage the reversetakes place. When the weight of the vehicle leaves the trap door, it israised by the springs 51, and the levers are moved thereby, as well asby auxiliary springs 69, and the locking mechanism is released. Then, asthe weight of the vehicle is disposed upon the exposed portions of theinner tracks 17, the same are depressed and the frame is loW- ered toopen the doors.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the improved garagedoor operator is of simple and novel construction, and is well adaptedfor the purposes set forth.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A garage door operator, comprising door sliding levers, arectangularly shaped vertically movable intermediate member surroundinga door opening connected at its upper portion to said levers for movingthe same, and a depressible track mounted in a drive-way and supportedat one point by a lower portion of said intermediate member to lower thesame upon being depressed, said track extending in the path of travel ofa vehicle.

2. The combination with a sliding door, of a lever connected to theupper portion thereof and movable in one direction to open the door, avertically moving rectangular frame surrounding the door when closed andconnected at its upper end portion to said lever for moving it, a trackextending at right angles to the plane of the door and engaging thelower portion of said frame to lower it and move the lever in dooropening direction upon depressionof the track by a vehicle driventhereover, springs for moving the frame to normal position, and anotherspring for moving the lever to door closing position. a

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ADAM HERB.

